Happy NKOTB Day!!

Today is the 35th annual New Kids on the Block Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as first decreed by then- Governor Dukakis.

 In celebration NKOTB has released "A Love Like This," with Jordan on lead vocals, from their forthcoming new album.

Terry Carter

Terry Carter, who played  Colonel Tigh on my childhood favorite, the original Battlestar Galactica, has died at age 95.

RIP

A Trip to Pick N Save

I really didn't want to go to the store tonight but we really needed a couple things to start the week tomorrow. It was a fun visit. 

The homeless dude I chat with when I see him (sadly, I don't know his name) told me about cheesecake being on an amazing sale when I got there. I looked for it but didn't find. Then in the soda aisle, was none other than Milwaukee's John 'the Milverine' Hamann.

 I said hey, and he complimented my outfit as we exchanged pleasantries. I said I'd see him on Facebook, but I guess he's not on there anymore. 

As I left, I teased the homeless dude that he must have got the last cheesecake, none were left. He told me to take his and was handing me it. I, of course, told him to enjoy it. It all kinda felt like I was in a dream...and the uniqueness of the store run reminded me why I love my city so much.  - Lisa

Terry Anderson

Terry Anderson, the journalist forced to endure the longest captivity of any Westerner during the Lebanese Civil War, has died at age 76. 

Anderson was a Marine vet who served two tours in Vietnam as a combat journalist before joining the Associated Press as a civilian. That job took him to Lebanon in the midst of the civil war that dominated the news in the 1980's. On March 16th, 1985, Hezbollah Shite's abducted him off the street. 

He would not see freedom for six years and nine months. 

When he was taken Gorbachev had been in power 5 days. When he was released the Soviet Union had 22 days left before its dissolution. 

In many ways, Terry Anderson is a symbol of all that happened in between. 

It is impossible to document how much the name Terry Anderson influenced the background of my youth. He was a symbol of the troubled and violent Middle East, of the destruction of once beautiful Lebanon, of the Iran-Contra scandal that was in place party to secure his freedom, and of the misery and apparent hopelessness of his situation. 

Shuttled from one terrorist hideout to another, chained to a wall, beaten, given inedible food, and at one point left in solitary isolation for a year and a half, Anderson very nearly gave up  and thought of taking his own life. He credited his Catholic faith, as well as a stubborn streak, with pushing on: 

"People are capable of doing an awful lot when they have no choice and I had no choice."

By all accounts he led a quiet and peaceful life after his release, but the damage he endured lingered. Now, at last, he has the peace he deserved all along. 

RIP

Civi War

For some reason yesterday Lisa said she wanted to see Civil War,  which is completely out of her comfort zone; had I suggested the film, she would have said no LOL. 

So off we went to the Avalon. No one else but our exchange student Laura wanted to go, so it was just the three of us. 

Civil War follows a quartet of journalists as they attempt to travel from New York city to Washington DC during the pivotal last days of a 2nd  American Civil War. With the front line approaching the capital, they are forced to take a circuitous route that brings them into contact with different factions, with each encounter showcasing the brutality of the war. 

I loved it. I'm not saying it was a "top ten all time" for me, or a Best Picture candidate, but I thought it was exceptionally well done. I've read several reviews, both from theater goers and professional critics lambasting the film as "weak" because it "wouldn't take a side." And, indeed, it doesn't, not in the way they want.

 The cause of the war is never discussed. The philosophy of each side is not mentioned, although each faction commits enough war crimes to kick start a new Nuremburg trial. In fact, one of the main protagonists, the Western Alliance, is the unlikely union of California and Texas. a clear and conscious decision by the filmmaker to divorce you from your everyday beliefs.. You don't know who is who; who to root for, who to despise, who identify as "us" or "them."

That's not weakness, that's brilliance. 

The movie doesn't want you to rehash your personal beefs in the the theater, to choose Fox or CNN, blue or red. It wants to warn you of what is inevitable if division and distrust is left unchecked. A future fueled by divisiveness brings hate, and violence, and once that is unlocked no one is immune from becoming a monster - remember, ALL sides in this story commit atrocities, not just one. 

The critics who cry about how the movie is organized aren't complaining about a film, they are bemoaning the fact that they couldn't scratch that itch, couldn't achieve that glorious, orgasmic high of pointing at someone else and saying "See?!?! I'm better than them."

The critics, in short, are outing themselves as the very kind of people who should have taken Civil War's lessons to heart. 

Grade: A 

Columbine - 25 years Later

 25 years ago today, this nation changed. 

There were school shootings prior to Columbine, several earlier in that decade alone, but this was different. It was far bloodier than those that preceded it - 13 victims dead, 24 injured ; it was cold and methodical in its planning and execution; the killers did not, on the surface, seem like "the type" to do such a thing. 

If only we still thought of those as the "ceiling" of horror standards, and not the middle of the road. 

I was working 3rd shift at a hotel at the time, and I think I slept through the days events. These were the days before smart phones and ready access to the internet, so my first exposure to the massacre came at 3 or 4am on the 21st,  when the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel driver delivered our daily stack of newspapers. The attack dominated the front page, and I clearly remember the driver - Tom - filling me in on the days horror. 

Since then I've occasionally deep-dived into the history of the event, and I remain convinced of only one brutal fact, not about the event but its sequels:: the many, many copycats in the quarter century to follow kill and die trying to obtain the same level of "fame" as the two responsible for Columbine. I think the media, for once with no ill intent, has created a permanent fame for the two killers that serves as a goal for far too many disturbed individuals. 

I know the names of the Columbine killers. I just refuse to publicize them going forward. They are best diminished and forgotten. 

To the victims that died that day, rest in peace. To the victims that survived, including the families of the lost, you remain in my thoughts whenever I think of Columbine, and you are in my prayers today. 

A Great Day to be Great

What can I say about today? It's been a lot already. I'm going to choose happy. It's a great day to be great...and I'm gonna be great :)  - Lisa

OJ Simpson

For years I have playfully said that I would invite OJ Simpson to our house for Thanksgiving. I said this every year, and I said it often, but I never followed through with it because . . well, because it sounded ludicrous.

Then, out of the blue last yesterday, I decided this was the year. Maybe he would respond - probably not. Best case scenario he showed for dinner, worst case my letter went unanswered. It sure seemed, given that test, to be worth the effort. 

So, on company letterhead (the better to grab his attention, I thought) I typed out this letter. One was addressed to the NFL Hall of Fame, the other to an address in Reno. Google claimed both were where he received fan mail. 

April 10^th, 2024

 

O.J. Simpson
2665 Cactus View Dr
Reno, NV 89506-6712
USA

Dear Mr. Simpson,

I’m sure you’re swamped with requests for appearances, and value your time accordingly. I’m also sure that you’re sick of people asking for your time just to try and cash in on events from the past, often without being upfront about their motives.

This is neither of those things. I have no financial stake in any endeavor related to you and have no desire to talk about the tragic events of thirty years ago.

I just want to invite you to Thanksgiving dinner with my family.

I didn’t enter the law until late in life, as a second career, but watching your attorneys in the 1994 trial planted the seed for me to take up defense work. To this day I remain adamant that jury came to the correct legal conclusion, just as I believe the sentencing in your later case was a horrific bit of showboating by a judge who knew she was on camera.

Long story short, I think every person I’ve helped  in my job owes a debt to you for inspiring me.

I know you have family and friends and, no doubt, a standing invitation to a holiday meal, but I am quite serious: if you happen to be in Milwaukee at Thanksgiving, you are welcome to a seat at our table.

I wish you the best,

This morning, on the way to work, the work chat lit up with the news: OJ had died the day I wrote the letter. Our timing was . . . well, at least it was cinematic. 

His life is forever tied to the murder of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman. The OJ I remember -  the football star, the character actor, the cheerful spokesperson for Hertz -  died long ago, suffocated by suspicion. 

I do not deny that the balance of probability points to his guilt. I also acknowledge that standard leaves room for doubt that easily fails to meet the bar for conviction. There were too many police errors, and officers of dubious honesty (Fuhrman, for one) for me to EVER doubt that the verdict was the correct one. Those who demean the jury by saying the verdict was just a "payback" for the Rodney King trial are throwing a temper tantrum - and a vaguely racist one at that. 

What bothers me the most, now that he has passed, is the oddly vitriolic opinions people have for a case that has *zero* to do with their personal life. He has been called "evil," "rotting in hell," and a "monster" by nearly everyone that bothered to comment online.

If you are impacted directly by a crime, by all means, you deserve your rage.

If you comment from your couch, assigning meaning based on how often someone is in the news, stop the group-think. 

Even assuming he is guilty: it was a horrific crime of anger and rage, one the prosecution itself alleged was precipitated by a "snub" that evening. He did not walk dispassionately into a school and open fire, kill a stranger over $20 in a wallet, starve a child to death, or commit what many of the 23, 058 American murder suspects of 2023 -few of whom you comment on or care about -  stood accused of doing. 

People make one celebrity case, be it OJ, Casey Anthony, etc - their be all/end all, and think caring "enough" about that excuses their apathy towards all the other wrongs in the world. *That* is what is truly monstrous. 

I have long offered prayers for the two victims of the 1994 attack; as a Christian, I now extend one to OJ, because he is in God's hands: may your Maker judge you fairly. 

Benson Boone

Benson Boone's lyrics to Beautiful Things are just...relatable.  Enjoying that song lately, anyone else? - Lisa

For a while there, it was rough
But lately, I've been doin' better
Than the last four cold Decembers
I recall

And I see my family every month
I found a girl my parents love
She'll come and stay the night
And I think I might have it all

And I thank God every day
For the girl He sent my way
But I know the things He gives me
He can take away

And I hold you every night
And that's a feeling I wanna get used to
But there's no man as terrified
As the man who stands to lose you

Oh, I hope I don't lose you
Mm

Please stay
I want you, I need you, oh God
Don't take
These beautiful things that I've got

Please stay
I want you, I need you, oh God
Don't take
These beautiful things that I've got

Oh-oh-oh-oh
Ooh
Please don't take

I found my mind, I'm feelin' sane
It's been a while, but I'm finding my faith
If everything's good and it's great
Why do I sit and wait 'til it's gone?

Oh, I'll tell ya, I know I've got enough
I've got peace and I've got love
But I'm up at night thinkin'
I just might lose it all

Please stay
I want you, I need you, oh God
Don't take
These beautiful things that I've got

Oh-oh-oh-oh
Ooh
Please stay
I want you, I need you, oh God
I need
These beautiful things that I've got

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Evan Blair / Benson Boone / Jack Lafrantz

50 Years Ago Today

50 years ago today, Milwaukee icon Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run, surpassing the great Babe Ruth for the all-time lead. 

Better chroniclers than me have written about the impact that moment had on the world, far beyond the confines of MLB. For a black man, a mere ten years after the Civil Rights act, to take the home run crown from arguably the best hitter to have ever lived, and to do it while playing for a team in the Deep South . . . wow. 

I wish he'd broken the record in Milwaukee, his baseball home for the vast majority of his career.  But it probably did hold more significance coming as it did in the old Confederacy. 

RIP Hank. You're still the record holder in my eyes. 

 

Fiddler on the Roof at the Fireside

Seeing Fiddler. [at the Fireside Theater with my Mom, her friend Elaine, and Elaine's daughter Barbara] My Mom got me into this musical decades ago when it used to be played on TV - Lisa

Reptile

When a female real estate agent is brutally murdered while showing a vacant house, the investigation falls to Det Tom Nichols, a jaded cop whose reputation is stained by the corrupt acts of his old partner.  Deception and betrayal abound as Nichols tries to determine the truth without destroying his life yet again. 

Ok. So Benecio Del Toro and Alicia Silverstone gave top notch performances, and in his limited screentime Justin Timberlake held his own too. 

But .   . .

This was a moody, engaging film that strode confidently forward to a strong conclusion - and then, for reasons unknown, dragged that conclusion out another 45 minutes!!!  

Edit this thing and you've got 3.5 or 4 stars out of five. As is? I'm being generous by giving it 3.